On Our Doorstep

November 1, 2014

This weekend we went to visit a park that is right on our doorstep but new to us. Victoria Park is an old park in our town that is in the process of being restored so we thought it would be nice to visit and see what it is like. We were both totally amazed at what we found there; I’d never been before and my husband remembers going to play basketball there as a teenager so we didn’t really know what it would be like but it is full of history. The Mansion House and surrounding park were constructed in 1849 as a private estate and acquired by the council then opened to the public in 1886. They have restored a folly, rose garden, pond and are working on a beautiful Orangery and walled garden. It was amazing to walk round and see these parts unearthed. There are some fasctinating old photographs and paintings online which show how it would have looked in the 1800’s. I particularly like the folly and the faces in the walls, it felt like we were somewhere completely different. We didn’t get to see it all so we will definitely return and on our way out we saw a sweet little cafe that I also want to test out!

We spent a little while on the playground so the twins could get out the pushchair and enjoy the swings. Lucas was in an exploring mood and once we moved on from the playground he ran round the rest of the paths. I love how he can find fun and play anywhere; he loved the bandstand and ran round and round the edge pretending to be a train. He spent so long hiding beneath a tree and waiting to jump out and surprise Daddy. We chatted about the leaves on the ground and showed him the funny little faces in the folly and we only managed to convince him to come home with us by promising to return very soon!

You can read more about the restoration of Victoria Park here and follow Mansion House on twitter for more information about their events.

What a great park to have close by. It looks full of interesting spaces and some real history too. I hope they manage to finish all the sections, it already looks perfect for whiling away a little out door time at any time of year. Thank you for sharing with me on Country Kids.

It looks so gorgeous, I love really old places like this and learning about their history. I always imagine how they used go live or go for walks around their estate. They seem to have restored it all really nicely. Lovely pics as always 🙂

goodness me Hayley look how big Lucas is now! Such a big boy and the twins have grown so fast too. crazy isnt it how fast time goes by? (love his cosy jumper)
Gorgeous photos of a lovely day out – i love all the leaves on the ground this time of year and its been so mild hasnt it?
hope you are well xx

They have done such a great job restoring the park to its former glory! Looks like Lucas has a ball. Autumn is so pretty especially when we get a rare glimpse of the sun toohttp://www.letstalkbeauty.co.uk/